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Participant in Moscow rally gets two-year suspended sentence for attacking police officer

The prosecution requested the court sentence Vladimir Yemelyanov to four years in prison
Vladimir Yemelyanov Vladimir Gerdo/TASS
Vladimir Yemelyanov
© Vladimir Gerdo/TASS

MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. Moscow’s Meshchansky District Court has handed participant in the July 27 Moscow rally Vladimir Yemelyanov a two-year suspended sentence for attacking a riot police officer, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom.

"The Court hereby hands Yemelyanov a two-year suspended sentence," Judge Tatyana Shanina said. The prosecution requested the court sentence Yemelyanov to four years in prison.

Yemelyanov was released in the courtroom but he will be on a probation period for three years.

He was charged under Article 318.1 of the Russian Criminal Code (the use of violence against officials that caused no bodily harm). According to investigators, during the July 27 protest in downtown Moscow, Yemelyanov grabbed a riot police officer from behind, restricting his movement and causing him pain. The defendant told the court he hadn’t meant to cause anyone pain. The riot police officer, Maxim Kosov, in turn, said he had no complaints against Yemelyanov.

According to police, the July 27 rally involved more than 3,500 people, over 1,000 were detained. The Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 318.1 and Article 212.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (the use of violence against officials and participation in mass unrest), arresting more than ten suspects.